Where to Sleep Tonight?

The Nine-Tails stood half-upright, head tilted back and jaws wide open, as a black sphere rapidly took shape within its mouth.

"Tailed Beast Bomb! That monster is creating a Tailed Beast Bomb, stop it!"

"It's too late!" Uchiha Fugaku frowned deeply amidst the crowd.

Most of the Konoha ninja present had lived through the Third Shinobi World War; many had witnessed a Tailed Beast Bomb on the battlefield and knew exactly what it was capable of.

Facing such a thing, one could not block it head-on; one had to dodge.

"Everyone, scatter!" someone shouted.

"The Nine-Tails is firing at the village!"

As the Tailed Beast Bomb rapidly condensed, everyone's heart sank to the bottom of the abyss.

But just then, a red toad descended from the sky, landing squarely on the Nine-Tails' head.

Thrown off balance by Gamabunta's sudden weight, the Nine-Tails' aim shifted, sending the Tailed Beast Bomb detonating into the forest far from the village, while the Nine-Tails itself was left dazed and confused.

"It's the Hokage!" Someone recognized that the one who had summoned Gamabunta was none other than Namikaze Minato, who had arrived in a rush.

With the "Yellow Flash" on the battlefield, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Namikaze Minato, who had been invincible during the Third Shinobi World War, had left an indelible mark on the hearts of Konoha's ninja; as long as he was there, there was no problem that couldn't be solved!

Seeing that Namikaze Minato was still alive, Uchiha Fugaku also relaxed. He wasn't particularly afraid of the Nine-Tails; no matter how powerful it was, it was nothing more than a toy in his eyes. If not for certain concerns, he could have taken down the Nine-Tails in a single exchange!

Although Gamabunta's entrance was dazzling, the gap between him and the Nine-Tails remained vast. Before long, he was suppressed by the Nine-Tails, and a second Tailed Beast Bomb began to manifest.

The Nine-Tails produced the Tailed Beast Bomb with terrifying speed, forming it in just a few breaths. Namikaze Minato dared not delay, teleporting the second Tailed Beast Bomb away as well.

The explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb ignited the distant forest, turning the night sky as bright as day.

Namikaze Minato's figure appeared before the crowd once more, and with a flash of the Flying Thunder God, he vanished from Konoha along with the massive body of the Nine-Tails.

"Return to the village and comfort the villagers; I am going to find Minato!"

With that, Sarutobi Hiruzen disappeared into the night with a group of Anbu ninja.

As the Nine-Tails was taken away, the fires of war in Konoha began to fade.

Naoki looked around; the injured Konoha ninja and members of the Military Police Force were helping each other toward the Medical Team, the exclusion and estrangement that had existed when the Military Police Force first arrived now completely gone.

This was a good start.

Although it could not entirely dispel the suspicion and rejection caused by the Sharingan during the Nine-Tails incident, after fighting together, the rumor that "the Nine-Tails was an Uchiha conspiracy" had at least been broken, averting a "trust crisis" that would have caused endless trouble later on.

As for whether there would be any lingering effects, it was hard to say, but for now, he was satisfied.

"What are you muttering about over here all by yourself?"

Uchiha Zongxin's voice came from behind. He looked slightly exhausted, his left arm wrapped in bandages, but his spirits were decent.

"You're hurt? How did it happen?"

Uchiha Zongxin shook his head. "Just bad luck, don't mention it. It's just a flesh wound; the Medical Team says it'll be fine in two days."

Naoki looked at the surrounding ruins and sighed.

"I don't know how many people lost their lives tonight, or how many families were torn apart. Your minor injury is a stroke of good fortune."

Uchiha Zongxin curled his lip, wanting to say something but holding back.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Do we really need to be coy with each other?"

"Alright, I'll be blunt." Uchiha Zongxin leaned in, scrutinizing Naoki. "You're very different tonight compared to usual. Did you hit your head and have a change of heart?"

Naoki laughed. "Since you asked, I'll tell you. While I was unconscious, I had a dream."

"What kind of dream?"

"I dreamed of Konoha ten years from now."

"Oh?" Uchiha Zongxin became interested. "Ten years from now, how is our Uchiha clan doing? Did any of our ninja become Hokage or a Hokage advisor?"

"No, none of them." Naoki shook his head.

"Why?"

"How would I know?"

"You don't know anything? Then what was the point of having that dream?"

"True, I also thought it was just some strange, nonsensical dream. But later, I realized—perhaps the Sage of Six Paths was secretly reminding me of something. Doesn't the clan always say we Uchiha are descendants of the Sage of Six Paths..."

At first, Uchiha Zongxin was listening with great interest, but when Naoki mentioned the Sage of Six Paths, he realized Naoki was just pulling his leg.

"Get lost. The Sage of Six Paths is ancient history. He sent you a dream? It's not even certain if such a person ever existed."

"Haha, I'm just joking. But I really did have that dream..."

With a scoff, Uchiha Zongxin didn't wait for Naoki to finish, shaking his head and waving goodbye.

After a night of chaos, the sky was already beginning to brighten by the time Naoki returned home.

Pushing open the door and stepping into his familiar home, he secretly marveled at his own good luck.

The Nine-Tails had rampaged through the village, destroying nearly half of Konoha's buildings, yet his home had escaped unscathed.

"How fortunate." Naoki washed up briefly and muttered as he lay on his bed, "If my house had been destroyed by the Nine-Tails, where would I sleep tonight?"

"Yeah, where would we sleep tonight?"

Looking at his ruined home, Uchiha Zongxin wore a mournful expression.

"What a headache."

Having been busy all day, Uchiha Zongye was already exhausted, and he hadn't expected to return home to such a scene.

"Let's just make do at the Police Force for the night."

"Why go to the Police Force?" Uchiha Zongxin shook his head. "We saved Naoki's life last night; otherwise, he'd be stiff by now. Let's go to his place!"

"Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Uchiha Zongye feigned hesitation; after all, he and Naoki were not of the same generation, and doing something like this felt a bit embarrassing.

"What's inappropriate about it!"

With that, Uchiha Zongxin dragged his brother away.

Naoki, who had been fast asleep, suddenly heard rustling sounds nearby.

He snapped his eyes open, sprang up with a kip-up, crept out of bed, grabbed a broom from the corner, and tiptoed toward the kitchen where the noise persisted.

A thief?

He muttered to himself, his Sharingan quietly activating in the darkness, the two tomoe rotating slowly.

The sound of the refrigerator door opening drifted from the kitchen, followed by hushed voices:

"Brother, Naoki actually has pudding!"

"Put it down. We're here to ask for a place to stay, not to steal food."

"I'm just looking... wow, it's milk-flavored too!"

Naoki appeared at the kitchen doorway, broom raised, his Sharingan emitting a faint red glow in the dark as he spoke in an eerie tone: "Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of this late-night visit?"